January
18, 2006 - Electronic
Arts rules the videogame football kingdom with an
iron fist, owning all rights to the official NFL license,
its a wonder why other sports game developers
never picked up on the hard-hitting, high scoring,
utterly enjoyable Arena Football League. It is now
little too late as EA destroys any future competition
in the football arena, tackling their latest exclusive
license: the Arena Football League.

For
those unfamiliar with Arena Football (or any other
Arena sport for that matter), it is really easy to
imagine what the game is like. You take your favorite
sport, in this case we are looking at American Football,
dry out the ice of an ice rink, pack in all the players,
coaches, yard lines, end zones and goal posts, and
you have yourself Arena Football. Hits are and can
be made along the boards, giant nets sit on either
side of the goal posts allowing punts to bounce off
and be caught for extra yardage.

For
those in the know with the Madden series, we have
watched Madden grow into an amalgamation of complex
plays and position assignment, bogging down the actual
gameplay experience in favor of a simulation experience.
Arena Football, while intense, wont offer the
same complexity, which may be more appealing to a
wider spectrum of gamers.

With
the AFL playing on a smaller surface, the field is
only about 50 yards long; so AFL coaches and players
cannot run the same plays as NFL players do, simply
because the field just doesnt allow it. And
with netting on the goal posts, different strategies
for punts have been invented. This also means that
playbooks in Arena Football will be much slimmer than
Madden, and aimed more towards aerial plays. Since
Arena Football takes place inside a hockey rink, it
is obvious that the AFL field is not as wide as an
NFL field, which will hinder your running game.

EA,
and developers Tiburon, are looking to add some new
spice to the football domain with a feature called
Telemetry. Telemetry allows you run full body scans
on your players that will give you some very pertinent
information. You will be able to see an outline of
your player, and see which parts of their bodies are
fatigued. If you have a player with legs in the red
zone, the player will obviously run slower. If your
quarter back has an arm in the red zone, or your receiver
has his hands in the red, throwing and catching will
become inaccurate and failures more constant.

In
addition to monitoring your players fatigue,
Telemetry also allows you to see your success on the
field. You can see what plays are working best for
you, and what part of the field has the highest success
rate. No need in throwing the ball to a cornerback
who keeps intercepting your passes right?

EAs
Arena Football appears to be shaping up as the sports
conglomerates arcade style gaming experience.
If youre the type of gamer that just wants to
get into the game, with little to no learning curve
and want to bust some heads, Arena Football should
be the game for you. For the die-hard simulation football
fans, Arena Footballs stripped down rules might
be a bit too lackadaisical for you.

Regardless,
theres not a football that will be on the market
made for everyone.

Features:

Feel
the RumblePulverize the competition and wreak
havoc as you hand out huge hits that crush players
into and over the walls!

High-Octane
GameplayFast-paced, high-scoring offenses
dominate the leaguelight up the scoreboard
with an allout aerial assault using playbooks created
by actual Arena coaches.

All-New
TelemetryFor the first time ever in sports
gaming, instantly get real-time information about
your opponent. An in-game telemetry system provides
an immediate review of scoring history, passing
tendencies, and player health allowing you to capitalize
on your opponents weaknesses.

Ironman
FootballThis is old-school football
six of eight players are on both sides of the ball.

Use
the telemetry system to identify and replace tired
players before they give up a big play.

Experience
the ExcitementThe arena comes alive with fans,
fireworks, and a rock-concert atmosphere.

Revolutionary
Kicking GameSplit the uprights from any location
on the Arena field with the all-new analog kicking
controls that give you total command over every
kick.

Become
an Arena GreatBuild an Arena powerhouse and
take it to the promise land in Season mode or challenge
the best players in the nation with head-to-head
online play.

Personalize
Your GameCreate a dominant player and a customized
team then take the league by storm.

By
Devin DinardoCCC
Staff Writer

Rating
out of 5

Arena
Football
(PS2)

NA

Graphics
Not Available

NA

Control
Not Available

NA

Music
/ Sound FX / Voice Acting
Not Available

NA

Play
Value
Not Available

NA

Overall
Rating -
Not an average. See Rating legend above
for a final score breakdown.